CivicCause budget overview
San Jose Budget Overview
2026-2027 Budget and Recent Trends
Proposed budgetBudget release: April 2026Final City Council vote: June 16, 2026
San Jose's CivicCause budget overview highlights major current-year budget changes, department shifts, recent trends, and the official public source documents behind them.
This budget is still proposed and may change before the final City Council vote.
San José’s budget includes operating funds, capital funds, enterprise funds, and other fund activity. Some tables below represent partial budget slices and should not be read as the full citywide budget.
Total Proposed Budget
$5.50B
Approximate full proposed FY 2026-2027 city budget from San Jose's budget package; detailed imported tables below are partial operating/general-fund slices.
Imported Operating Dataset
$1.62B
Partial San Jose operating/general-fund slice from Total Base Expenditures; not the full citywide budget.
Projected Deficit
$55.8M
Derived as current total revenues minus current total expenditures.
Operating Gap before reserves
-$151.8M
Derived as total general fund revenues minus total expenditures, before beginning fund balance / carryover.
What Changed
Largest department-level changes in the strongest currently loaded comparison layer.
Police
↑
Increase+4.24%
2024-2025 Adopted Budget: $543,970,677
2025-2026 Proposed Budget: $567,014,420
+$23.0M
↑Increase
Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
↓
Decrease-4.13%
2024-2025 Adopted Budget: $143,866,123
2025-2026 Proposed Budget: $137,918,934
-$5.9M
↓Decrease
Public Works
↑
Increase+4.84%
2024-2025 Adopted Budget: $54,957,823
2025-2026 Proposed Budget: $57,620,350
+$2.7M
↑Increase
Mayor and City Council
↓
Decrease-12.14%
2024-2025 Adopted Budget: $18,136,210
2025-2026 Proposed Budget: $15,933,617
-$2.2M
↓Decrease
Transportation
↑
Increase+3.72%
2024-2025 Adopted Budget: $51,568,417
2025-2026 Proposed Budget: $53,484,852
+$1.9M
↑Increase
Environmental Services
↓
Decrease-28.40%
2024-2025 Adopted Budget: $6,262,243
2025-2026 Proposed Budget: $4,484,023
-$1.8M
↓Decrease
Rollups and totals
Aggregate rows are kept separate from individual departments so they do not dominate the main comparison table.
| Name | 2024-2025 Adopted Budget | 2025-2026 Proposed Budget | Delta | % Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Public Safety Departments | $840,390,640 | $863,643,303 | +$23.3M | +2.77% | ↑Increase |
| Total Departmental Uses | $1,318,882,277 | $1,340,530,101 | +$21.6M | +1.64% | ↑Increase |
| Total Community Services Departments | $220,513,654 | $215,367,178 | -$5.1M | -2.33% | ↓Decrease |
| Total Capital Maintenance Departments | $106,526,240 | $111,105,202 | +$4.6M | +4.30% | ↑Increase |
| Total General Government Departments | $151,451,743 | $150,414,418 | -$1.0M | -0.68% | ↓Decrease |
Department comparison
Department-level comparison from the published 2025-2026 Proposed Operating Budget Summary of General Fund Uses table.
| Name | 2024-2025 Adopted Budget | 2025-2026 Proposed Budget | Delta | % Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police | $543,970,677 | $567,014,420 | +$23.0M | +4.24% | ↑Increase |
| Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services | $143,866,123 | $137,918,934 | -$5.9M | -4.13% | ↓Decrease |
| Public Works | $54,957,823 | $57,620,350 | +$2.7M | +4.84% | ↑Increase |
| Mayor and City Council | $18,136,210 | $15,933,617 | -$2.2M | -12.14% | ↓Decrease |
| Transportation | $51,568,417 | $53,484,852 | +$1.9M | +3.72% | ↑Increase |
| Environmental Services | $6,262,243 | $4,484,023 | -$1.8M | -28.40% | ↓Decrease |
| Energy | $0 | $1,303,395 | +$1.3M | — | ↑Increase |
| Library | $50,726,758 | $51,816,517 | +$1.1M | +2.15% | ↑Increase |
| City Attorney | $19,031,941 | $19,905,291 | +$873.4K | +4.59% | ↑Increase |
| City Manager | $23,980,147 | $24,534,805 | +$554.7K | +2.31% | ↑Increase |
| Human Resources | $15,386,206 | $15,001,068 | -$385.1K | -2.50% | ↓Decrease |
| Finance | $24,293,996 | $24,018,285 | -$275.7K | -1.13% | ↓Decrease |
| Planning, Building and Code Enforcement | $18,990,561 | $19,207,313 | +$216.8K | +1.14% | ↑Increase |
| Fire | $296,419,963 | $296,628,883 | +$208.9K | +0.07% | ↑Increase |
| City Auditor | $2,940,006 | $3,147,486 | +$207.5K | +7.06% | ↑Increase |
| City Clerk | $3,811,716 | $4,014,590 | +$202.9K | +5.32% | ↑Increase |
| Economic Development and Cultural Affairs | $7,666,657 | $7,582,524 | -$84.1K | -1.10% | ↓Decrease |
| Information Technology | $34,559,401 | $34,611,411 | +$52.0K | +0.15% | ↑Increase |
| Housing | $667,969 | $636,996 | -$31.0K | -4.64% | ↓Decrease |
| Independent Police Auditor | $1,645,463 | $1,665,341 | +$19.9K | +1.21% | ↑Increase |
Expenditure categories
Closest shared expenditure-category comparison across 2025-2026 proposed budget materials and the 2026-2027 forecast.
| Name | 2025-2026 Proposed Budget | 2026-2027 Forecast | Delta | % Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Non-Departmental | $345,221,925 | $186,065,719 | -$159.2M | -46.10% | ↓Decrease |
| Personal Services | $1,151,901,727 | $1,237,796,278 | +$85.9M | +7.46% | ↑Increase |
| Total Expenditures | $1,685,752,026 | $1,617,214,188 | -$68.5M | -4.07% | ↓Decrease |
| Earmarked Reserves | $57,826,453 | $5,100,000 | -$52.7M | -91.18% | ↓Decrease |
| Transfers | $36,278,616 | $23,510,294 | -$12.8M | -35.20% | ↓Decrease |
| Capital Contributions / Projects | $14,110,000 | $5,980,000 | -$8.1M | -57.62% | ↓Decrease |
| Non-Personal/Equipment | $188,628,374 | $193,352,191 | +$4.7M | +2.50% | ↑Increase |
| Contingency Reserve | $53,000,000 | $51,000,000 | -$2.0M | -3.77% | ↓Decrease |
| City-Wide Expenses | $86,434,253 | $85,475,425 | -$958.8K | -1.11% | ↓Decrease |
| Committed Additions | Not yet available in current public data | $231,000 | — | — | →No clear change |
| Departmental Total | $1,340,530,101 | Not yet available in current public data | — | — | →No clear change |
| Encumbrance Reserve | $97,572,603 | Not yet available in current public data | — | — | →No clear change |
Revenue
General Fund revenue-category comparison between the 2025-2026 proposed budget and the 2026-2027 forecast.
| Name | 2025-2026 Proposed | 2026-2027 Forecast | Delta | % Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total General Fund Sources | $1,588,179,423 | $1,561,426,744 | -$26.8M | -1.68% | ↓Decrease |
| Sales Tax | $340,000,000 | $317,200,000 | -$22.8M | -6.71% | ↓Decrease |
| Transfers and Reimbursements | $144,667,936 | $123,666,519 | -$21.0M | -14.52% | ↓Decrease |
| Total General Fund Revenues | $1,482,389,423 | $1,465,426,744 | -$17.0M | -1.14% | ↓Decrease |
| Beginning Fund Balance / Carryover | $105,790,000 | $96,000,000 | -$9.8M | -9.25% | ↓Decrease |
| Property Tax | $536,500,000 | $544,000,000 | +$7.5M | +1.40% | ↑Increase |
| Business Tax | $85,000,000 | $90,000,000 | +$5.0M | +5.88% | ↑Increase |
| Fines, Forfeitures & Penalties | $15,225,000 | $18,610,000 | +$3.4M | +22.23% | ↑Increase |
| Fees, Rates, and Charges | $31,840,531 | $29,211,875 | -$2.6M | -8.26% | ↓Decrease |
| Revenue from Money and Property | $21,935,000 | $19,500,000 | -$2.4M | -11.10% | ↓Decrease |
| Utility Tax | $143,800,000 | $145,150,000 | +$1.4M | +0.94% | ↑Increase |
| Licenses and Permits | $22,574,591 | $21,338,183 | -$1.2M | -5.48% | ↓Decrease |
| Franchise Fees | $58,988,263 | $58,038,263 | -$950.0K | -1.61% | ↓Decrease |
| Revenue from Local Agencies | $18,991,819 | $18,117,004 | -$874.8K | -4.61% | ↓Decrease |
| Revenue from the State of California | $11,800,000 | $11,500,000 | -$300.0K | -2.54% | ↓Decrease |
| Other Revenue | $11,066,283 | $10,794,900 | -$271.4K | -2.45% | ↓Decrease |
| Gas Tax | Not yet available in current public data | $18,300,000 | — | — | →No clear change |
| Real Property Transfer Tax | $0 | Not yet available in current public data | — | — | →No clear change |
| Revenue from the Federal Government | $0 | $0 | +$0 | — | →Flat |
| Telephone Tax | $22,000,000 | $22,000,000 | +$0 | +0.00% | →Flat |
| Total General Revenues | Not yet available in current public data | $1,341,760,225 | — | — | →No clear change |
| Transient Occupancy Tax | $18,000,000 | $18,000,000 | +$0 | +0.00% | →Flat |
5-year department trends
This is the deeper trend section. Priority departments are shown first with labeled fiscal years, values, and a simple direction read.
Police
↑Increase
2021-2022$481,146,688
2025-2026$567,014,420
2021-2022: $481.1M2022-2023: $486.7M2023-2024: $514.6M2024-2025: $544.0M2025-2026: $567.0M
5-year change: +$85.9M
↑Increase
Fire
↑Increase
2021-2022$267,922,459
2025-2026$296,628,883
2021-2022: $267.9M2022-2023: $271.1M2023-2024: $287.6M2024-2025: $296.4M2025-2026: $296.6M
5-year change: +$28.7M
↑Increase
Library
↑Increase
2021-2022$37,238,915
2025-2026$51,816,517
2021-2022: $37.2M2022-2023: $40.9M2023-2024: $47.2M2024-2025: $50.7M2025-2026: $51.8M
5-year change: +$14.6M
↑Increase
Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
↑Increase
2021-2022$87,279,938
2025-2026$137,918,934
2021-2022: $87.3M2022-2023: $104.5M2023-2024: $123.2M2024-2025: $143.9M2025-2026: $137.9M
5-year change: +$50.6M
↑Increase
Transportation
↑Increase
2021-2022$37,517,002
2025-2026$53,484,852
2021-2022: $37.5M2022-2023: $43.9M2023-2024: $47.5M2024-2025: $51.6M2025-2026: $53.5M
5-year change: +$16.0M
↑Increase
Public Works
↑Increase
2021-2022$38,480,325
2025-2026$57,620,350
2021-2022: $38.5M2022-2023: $42.9M2023-2024: $56.1M2024-2025: $55.0M2025-2026: $57.6M
5-year change: +$19.1M
↑Increase
Housing
↑Increase
2021-2022$538,773
2025-2026$636,996
2021-2022: $538.8K2022-2023: $617.7K2023-2024: $594.0K2024-2025: $668.0K2025-2026: $637.0K
5-year change: +$98.2K
↑Increase
More department series
| Department | Latest year | Latest value | 5-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Attorney | 2025-2026 | $19,905,291 | +$3.1M↑Increase |
| City Auditor | 2025-2026 | $3,147,486 | +$642.0K↑Increase |
| City Clerk | 2025-2026 | $4,014,590 | +$1.4M↑Increase |
| City Manager | 2025-2026 | $24,534,805 | +$2.9M↑Increase |
| Community Energy Department | 2022-2023 | $0 | -$300.0K↓Decrease |
| Economic Development and Cultural Affairs | 2025-2026 | $7,582,524 | +$1.9M↑Increase |
| Energy | 2025-2026 | $1,303,395 | +$1.3M↑Increase |
| Environmental Services | 2025-2026 | $4,484,023 | +$992.0K↑Increase |
| Finance | 2025-2026 | $24,018,285 | +$3.8M↑Increase |
| Human Resources | 2025-2026 | $15,001,068 | +$4.6M↑Increase |
| Independent Police Auditor | 2025-2026 | $1,665,341 | +$134.8K↑Increase |
| Information Technology | 2025-2026 | $34,611,411 | +$8.8M↑Increase |
| Mayor and City Council | 2025-2026 | $15,933,617 | -$2.4M↓Decrease |
| Planning, Building and Code Enforcement | 2025-2026 | $19,207,313 | +$3.8M↑Increase |
| Total Capital Maintenance Departments | 2025-2026 | $111,105,202 | +$35.1M↑Increase |
| Total Community Services Departments | 2025-2026 | $215,367,178 | +$71.1M↑Increase |
| Total Departmental Uses | 2025-2026 | $1,340,530,101 | +$245.6M↑Increase |
| Total General Government Departments | 2025-2026 | $150,414,418 | +$24.8M↑Increase |
| Total Public Safety Departments | 2025-2026 | $863,643,303 | +$114.6M↑Increase |
Community and Organization Perspectives
Perspectives on this budget will appear here.
Methodology and caveats
- Category comparison from published revenue summary tables; includes unmatched rows where current or prior categories differ.
- Not a department table. Uses the best stable expenditure-category layer available in both source documents.
- Compares 2024-2025 adopted budget to 2025-2026 proposed budget using department rows from the same published table.
- Series mixes adopted budget, actual, and proposed columns across published books. See metadata_json and source rows for exact source columns.
- Series may include adopted, actual, and proposed budget values depending on the fiscal year source column.
Sources and official documents
2025-2026 Proposed Operating Budget - General Fund Overview
Section: General Fund revenue estimates are summarized below
Fiscal year: 2025-2026 Proposed
Column used: 2025-2026 Proposed
Notes: 2023-2024 Actuals | 2024-2025 Adopted | 2025-2026 Forecast | 2025-2026 Proposed
2026-2027 City Manager's Budget Request - Base General Fund Forecast
Section: Revenue Summary / Total General Fund Revenues / Grand Total Sources
Fiscal year: 2026-2027 Forecast
Column used: 2026-2027 Forecast
Notes: 2025-2026 Modified Budget | 2026-2027 Forecast | 2027-2028 | 2028-2029 | 2029-2030 | 2030-2031
2025-2026 Proposed Operating Budget - Summary of General Fund Uses by Category
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses by Category
Fiscal year: 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
Column used: 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
Notes: 2023-2024 Actuals | 2024-2025 Adopted Budget | 2024-2025 Modified Budget | 2025-2026 Forecast Budget | 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
2026-2027 City Manager's Budget Request - Expenditure Summary
Section: Expenditure Summary / Base Expenditures / Committed Additions
Fiscal year: 2026-2027 Forecast
Column used: 2026-2027 Forecast
Notes: 2025-2026 Modified Budget | 2026-2027 Forecast | 2027-2028 | 2028-2029 | 2029-2030 | 2030-2031
2025-2026 Proposed Operating Budget - Summary of General Fund Uses
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses (department spending)
Fiscal year: 2024-2025 Adopted Budget
Column used: 2024-2025 Adopted Budget
Notes: 2023-2024 Actuals | 2024-2025 Adopted Budget | 2024-2025 Modified Budget | 2025-2026 Forecast Budget | 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
2025-2026 Proposed Operating Budget - Summary of General Fund Uses
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses (department spending)
Fiscal year: 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
Column used: 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
Notes: 2023-2024 Actuals | 2024-2025 Adopted Budget | 2024-2025 Modified Budget | 2025-2026 Forecast Budget | 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
San Jose published budget book section
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses
Fiscal year: 2021-2022
Column used: 2021-2022 Adopted Budget
Notes: Used for fiscal year 2021-2022 in department_5y_trend import.
San Jose published budget book section
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses
Fiscal year: 2022-2023
Column used: 2022-2023 Adopted Budget
Notes: Used for fiscal year 2022-2023 in department_5y_trend import.
San Jose published budget book section
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses (department spending)
Fiscal year: 2023-2024
Column used: 2023-2024 Actuals
Notes: Used for fiscal year 2023-2024 in department_5y_trend import.
San Jose published budget book section
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses (department spending)
Fiscal year: 2024-2025
Column used: 2024-2025 Adopted Budget
Notes: Used for fiscal year 2024-2025 in department_5y_trend import.
San Jose published budget book section
Section: Summary of General Fund Uses (department spending)
Fiscal year: 2025-2026
Column used: 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
Notes: Used for fiscal year 2025-2026 in department_5y_trend import.